Date: July 11, 2024
Author: Adriana Lechuga Granados & César Arroyo Vega.
Postulated by: GroBios A.C.

Alonso Ramírez Galeana is a 46-year-old Mexican citizen who was born in El Habillal, located in the Municipality of Lázaro Cárdenas, Michoacán, where the well-known “La Carpa” beach is located, famous for the remains of the stranded ship “El Betula”. Three species of sea turtles come to nest in this area: the olive ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), the black turtle (Chelonia mydas) and the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), all of which are endangered species.

For the great luck of Camp El Habillal, the most successful season was in 2020, where 13 leatherback turtle nests were protected. So far in the 2024 season, its incubation pens have protected 220 leatherback turtle eggs from four nests recovered, with the release so far of 113 hatchlings, thus offering a life expectancy for the species. 

Currently, Mr. Alonso serves as president of the El Habillal Tortuguero Camp, where he has worked with great dedication for more than 10 years in a variety of activities related to the protection and conservation of sea turtles. In addition to his work in the camp, Mr. Alonso is the founder and promoter of the “Tortufest El Habillal” event, designed and executed to get closer to the population and raise awareness about environmental issues, recycling, marine and wildlife, through conferences and activities where the whole family participates, highlighting among the events the release of turtle hatchlings, this event has the participation of several local companies and also the participation of the Government of the State of Michoacán.

Throughout his persistent work, Mr. Alonso has been the recipient of several recognitions, among them, from the Fisheries Commission of the State of Michoacán (COMPESCA); of the United Nations Organization (UN-Mexico) in 2020; from the shipyard company Hutchison Ports in 2022 and from the metallurgical company Arcelor Mittal in 2023, also by educational institutions such as the Tecnológico de Lázaro Cárdenas and the Universidad de Oriente (UNO); in addition to the above and for the benefit of biodiversity, he maintains an agreement for social service providers from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Zootechnics of the Michoacana University of San Nicolás de Hidalgo (UMSNH).

Under his leadership, the camp has protected a large number of sea turtle nests, eggs and hatchlings (leatherback, olive ridley and black turtles), contributing significantly to their preservation. In addition to his work in sea turtle conservation, Alonso participates in recycling initiatives and activities, such as the construction and placement of containers for the separation of solid waste, in collaboration with Arcelor Mittal, the Las Truchas Research Center and Cultivando Futuros A.C. , with the promotion of this work, it has been possible to collect around eight tons of polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used in many products, such as packaging, clothing and protective sheets, preventing them from continuing their path as garbage and avoid this keeps contaminating landfills or the sea.

Also, Alonso and his team are part of the Participatory Environmental Surveillance committee with the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA), participating as lifeguards on the beach, ensuring the safety of people, demonstrating, even more his commitment to protection of the environment, the El Habillal community, and also as a promoter of the protection and conservation of sea turtles.